Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1572 - 1112: Great Whale Island, a 9,000 Square Kilometer Horse-Breeding Great Island (Supplementary Update)

"On the ancient pale glaciers, the supreme Snake Mountain towers into the clouds. Perched upon Snake Mountain is the Throne of the Chief Divine, entrusted with divine authority! Yet, how should these noble and imposing divine powers be distributed? It all depends on the influence of each Priesthood faction and the forces they hold in their hands!..."

"Shibou, we ordinary priests from Divine Power University's lineage have long been firmly tied to maritime exploration and the development of the Northern Land! Whether in the old days of the Tarasco Kingdom or in the present Kingdom of the Lake, there has never been such a mutually supportive group, such a faction of ordinary priests... Though our current power is limited, we resemble newly sprouted tree seeds with the potential to grow into the Yun Shan of the Western Sea Coast!"

"With the Chief Divine as witness! Zuwaro and I both feel that our future foundation does not lie in the Kingdom of the Lake, but rather in the vast Northern Continent, in the urgently needed development along the West Bay Coast, Western Sea Coast, and the Far North Coast! And only with the flourishing growth of ports and parishes along the way... could we secure a divine cornerstone amidst the mountains of the Kingdom Priesthood and achieve a truly prominent sacred hilltop!"

"This cornerstone gradually accumulates, the hill slowly rises, and ultimately, may even establish a towering peak! And the height of this peak, whether it be that of a Fourth Level Chief Priest or a Fifth Level Supreme High Priest, or perhaps more than one Supreme High Priest... All depend on how high and thick the foundation stones accumulated along the coast can become!..."

"Yes! High Priest Mikki, you are right! The future requires a step-by-step approach, and what is most important now is managing the kingdom's ports well, establishing stable sea routes... Then utilize regional resources, bolstered by the kingdom's strength, to gather more of the Northern Tribes!..."

The white snow peak stands tall at the center of Great Whale Island. Numerous clear streams flow down the continuous mountains, meandering across all corners of the island. The location of Great Whale Port is situated at the northeast corner of the island, a natural harbor premium port connected to a fresh-water abundant verdant valley.

At this moment, Scholar Mikki stands at the edge of the valley, gazing at the snow peak to the southwest. He estimates the height of the snow peak at least around a thousand meters. These sprawling mountains also form a natural wind-protected valley, warmer in winter compared to the southern part of the Far North Coast. And amidst the central mountains of the island, there's even a winter thawless hot spring, serving as the winter camp where tribes across the island convene.

"Shibou, you, along with the kingdom's warriors and sailors, have settled on this vast Great Whale Island for over a year. How many people are at the kingdom's port now, and how many Sugpiaq Tribes remain unsubjugated? What exactly is the situation of the Sugpiaq tribes on the opposite side of the strait?..."

"Chief Divine blesses! High Priest Mikki, after a year of management, Great Whale Port has grown from ninety or so people left by the kingdom to a scale of more than two hundred seventy! And the additional hundred-plus people were gathered and subdued by the kingdom through alliances, trade, and preaching—Sugepian people..."

Speaking of the port he painstakingly managed for a year, Preaching Priest Shibou's eyes shone with joy and excitement. Every piece of land, every shelter, and the solitary stone-built sacrificial altar of the Chief God was gradually established under his guidance!

"Praise to the Chief Divine! The converted Sugepians are excellent hunters and fishermen. They are generally tall and robust, suitable for training into outstanding Warriors of the Kingdom!… Of course, most importantly, they are quite ignorant in their faith, worshipping only their ancestors, mountains, seas, trees, and sea creatures—otherwise devoid of any abstract divinity, essentially a blank slate of belief!"

"And once the kingdom displayed their longships for fishing, farming potatoes, metal tools, sufficient salt, and divine Thunderbolt, attributing all to the divine power of the Chief God... they quickly converted to the Chief Divine, praying devoutly every day, following the instructions of the Chief God Priest, and even beginning to learn the kingdom's language and customs!..."

"High Priest Mikki, this Great Whale Island is very vast, stretching three to four hundred miles in length and nearly a hundred miles in width from the southwest to the northeast... And yet, the tribes on this big island total no more than two thousand people! The kingdom's camp in Great Whale Port, with two to three hundred people, has already become the strongest force on the entire island, revered and aspired to by all tribes, even wanting to join this Great Tribe..."

"Chief Divine as witness! Three to four hundred miles in length, nearly a hundred miles in width, yet only less than two thousand people? Hmm... that's about the same population density as the tribes in the Divine Initiation Archipelago!..."

Upon hearing these figures, Scholar Mikki stroked his chin thoughtfully. In reality, this expansive Great Whale Island (Kodiak Island) spans a full nine thousand square kilometers, comparable to one-fourth of Dongfan Island (Taiwan Island).

But on Dongfan Island at this time, there are hundreds of native villages with an estimated twenty thousand Pingpu Tribe and High Mountain Tribe people. Comparatively, the population density of tribes on Great Whale Island is only about one twenty-fifth of Dongfan Island, or even lower... and this disparity stems from tropical and cold climates, as well as differences in tribal productivity affecting population sustenance dramatically...

"Indeed, Chief Divine as witness! I've carefully inquired with the allied tribes and dispatched Hunters to scout; there are absolutely no more than two thousand people on this island, nor any reaching two hundred in a 'Great Tribe'! For if too many people gather, the long harsh winter will claim excess lives of the tribes through cold and hunger!..."

"And only the kingdom's port possesses firestone brought from the south, copper axes for chopping wood, salted fish catches, and potato-yielding fields, allowing large tribal camps to survive the winter smoothly... And surviving the winter with minimal deaths is precisely the Sacred Prestige of the Chief Divine in the hearts of these Northern Tribes! In fact, many local tribes came to us and converted out of this very reason! In their mouths, the supreme Chief Divine is also referred to as the Snow God overseeing death and winter..."

Upon mentioning this, Preaching Priest Shibou sighed lightly, revealing some regret in his voice.

"High Priest Mikki, we only have one large longship, and twenty to thirty canoes, with the catch of fish feeding up to two hundred people. We've also cultivated two hundred acres of potato fields, but the Far North Coast is exceedingly cold! The potatoes we brought can grow on the island but grow slowly, producing less than in the south... Roughly five acres of potato field can sustain one able-bodied man. Two hundred acres can only sustain forty additional able-bodied men..."

"Certainly, food distribution at the camp mainly depends on the season! Perishable fish is the food from spring to autumn, while easily stored potatoes serve as essential reserves to endure the winter..."

Listening to such detailed narration from Shibou, Scholar Mikki nodded in approval, showing satisfaction on his face.

"Good! Shibou, you are dedicated, and you have done well! The camp size on Great Whale Island already exceeds Divine Land Port! We left one hundred twenty people at Divine Land Port, and presently it's only about two hundred people. The potato fields they've cultivated are just over a hundred acres... I've seen the warm places around Divine Land Port suitable for growing potatoes are far fewer than on Great Whale Island, lacking the potential of your Divine Great Whale Port!..."

"Chief Divine blesses! Priest Mikki, given our current situation, maintaining a camp scale close to three hundred is our limit. If we absorb more surrounding tribes, there won't be enough food and fuel for winter, leading to freezing and starvation deaths..."

"Freezing and starvation deaths are quite normal to the island tribes. However, should such situations occur extensively in the kingdom camps, it would severely affect the hard-won prestige of the Chief Divine, cause damage to the divinity of the supreme Chief God, and hinder the kingdom's preaching efforts..."

Preaching Priest Shibou sighed again. But soon, with eyes full of anticipation, he looked toward the decision-making authority, Scholar Mikki. Kneeling on one knee, clutching the Chief God's Amulet around his neck, he earnestly begged his superior for assistance.

"Praise to the Chief Divine, esteemed High Priest Mikki! If you could grant me two more longships, and bring two more shipments of firestone annually..."

"Then I would be fully confident to control this island spanning hundreds of miles, subdue and integrate every one of the one to two thousand Sugpiaq tribes into the kingdom's Great Whale Port!"

"Chief Divine as witness! By that time, this vast Great Whale Island will become the first fully controlled territory of the kingdom in the Far North Coast, a most secure horse-raising island!..."